He finally got off the island

September 6, 2005 12:21 PM

Bob Denver, beloved to millions as the lovable beatnick Maynard G. Krebs on the early television show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, has died at age 70.
he was also on a later show about seven stranded castaways
posted by yhbc (82 comments total)

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posted by item at 12:23 PM on September 6, 2005

Aw, crap. Rest in peace, Bob.
posted by JeffK at 12:24 PM on September 6, 2005

so long, little buddy.
posted by bashos_frog at 12:24 PM on September 6, 2005

Um, best known for being Gilligan on Gilligan's Island.
posted by delmoi at 12:25 PM on September 6, 2005

He retired to West Virginia. I hope to do that.
posted by davy at 12:27 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by LeeJay at 12:27 PM on September 6, 2005

Thank you, Professor Duh.

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posted by jonmc at 12:27 PM on September 6, 2005

In a related story, President George Bush has nominated John G. Roberts to the post of Gilligan, mere minutes after Denver's unfortunate death.
posted by billder at 12:27 PM on September 6, 2005

Like, I'm getting all misty.

Goodnight Walter.
posted by ?! at 12:28 PM on September 6, 2005

/whaps delmoi on head with yachtsman's cap

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"work?"
posted by mwhybark at 12:29 PM on September 6, 2005

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He was a good guy. Proud of what he'd done with his life, and always nice to the fans. He'll be missed.

/builds memorial out of coconuts
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:29 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by Rothko at 12:29 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by bshort at 12:30 PM on September 6, 2005

can't believe how little press this is getting... i mean first Katrina, then Rehnquist, now Gilligan!?!? oy vey.... or as gankmore might say, "man. gosh. america man. screwed."

posted not by gankmore, but gankyb (aka little buddy)
posted by Gankmore at 12:30 PM on September 6, 2005

Sleep well, little buddy.

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posted by WolfDaddy at 12:31 PM on September 6, 2005

Rehnquist and Denver run into each other at the Pearly Gates, exchange glances, and....
posted by cavalier at 12:33 PM on September 6, 2005

Is this the same Bob Denver that sang "Country road take me home"? I love that song.
posted by StarForce5 at 12:33 PM on September 6, 2005

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I said lunch, not launch!
posted by If I Had An Anus at 12:33 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by Yossarian at 12:33 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by OmieWise at 12:35 PM on September 6, 2005

Is this the same Bob Denver that sang "Country road take me home"? I love that song.

Is this the same StarForce5 that had never heard of Leonard Cohen? Because otherwise, I'd guess the quoted comment was a joke.
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:40 PM on September 6, 2005

A friend of mine notified us in irc, and I just sat there thinking "Didn't he die 8 or so years ago?" I honestly had him confused with John "Oh, God!" Denver. Then I saw someone try to make that joke on Fark. Then I felt super-lame. :|
posted by mrzer0 at 12:42 PM on September 6, 2005

He was on Lost?

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posted by Mach3avelli at 12:42 PM on September 6, 2005

Stir those damned coconuts! You, on the bamboo bicycle, move those feet! If we get enough charge we can defibrillate!

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With respect, of course. I'm sad to see Gilligan go.
posted by Kickstart70 at 12:46 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by bjgeiger at 12:47 PM on September 6, 2005

And dammit, Gilligan's first name was Willy, no matter what anyone says.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:51 PM on September 6, 2005

I'll wear my red rugby shirt tomorrow in tribute.
posted by alumshubby at 12:52 PM on September 6, 2005

Well now that he can't defend himself, Gilligan is certain be the target of Bush's investigation into the stunning incompetence of the past week. "Well, it seems like Gilligan was trying to befriend a monkey and forget to launch the coconut flare that would alert me to give a damn."

Seriously, damn, so many afternoons after school with Gilligan, the Skipper, too, the millio . . . .

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posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 12:55 PM on September 6, 2005

posted by glenwood at 12:56 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by alms at 12:59 PM on September 6, 2005

Hey, he's just joining Skipper Jonas Grumby in that big thatched hut in the sky...



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posted by WaterSprite at 1:07 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by seawallrunner at 1:10 PM on September 6, 2005

Geez, you don't have to come down on me just because I only know a few Bob Denver songs like "Thank God I'm a country boy" and "Puple Haze".
posted by StarForce5 at 1:11 PM on September 6, 2005

Nooo!.........now my line is gone; how you doing? - "I'm Chillin like Gilligan."
posted by thomcatspike at 1:13 PM on September 6, 2005

thomcatspike:

You can always use "I'm chillin like Ted Williams."
posted by billder at 1:14 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:14 PM on September 6, 2005 [1 favorite]

This got me thinking:
Gilligan crew + Superdome = TV Funhouse magic
posted by tfmm at 1:15 PM on September 6, 2005

Bob Denver songs like "Thank God I'm a country boy" and "Puple Haze".

not John...
yet now their both gone

to a higher high
somewhere above the sky
posted by thomcatspike at 1:19 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by amberglow at 1:22 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by moonbird at 1:24 PM on September 6, 2005

I always thought they could have escaped so easily from that German prison camp, given the incompetence of the guards, and that Col. Klink.
posted by ernie at 1:29 PM on September 6, 2005

goodbye little buddy...

(willy?)
posted by KerPow at 1:32 PM on September 6, 2005

Thanks, commish, for giving Maynard his well-deserved due...

You do realize the studio backlot where they had Gilligan's "Lagoon" was paved over to build (shudder) the Big Brother House...

He also had good taste in oldies, and mediocre web skillz (designed his own personal site).
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:32 PM on September 6, 2005

John Denver was Gilligan?!

yes, it's scarcasm.
posted by StarForce5 at 1:37 PM on September 6, 2005

It's interesting that people feel a need to make the jokes when someone dies.

Someone please let me know when ernie and Starforcescrewup, die and I'll be sure to make jokes about it...

The point is, jerkoffs, if you don't know who the heck it is, it is probably best to keep your mouth shut....

If you're stupid enough to PRETEND you don't know who it is and think that we'll find it amusing, still a good idea to keep your mouth shut..

That said... Maynard was one of my all time favorite TV characters, he inspired me to become a hippie!
posted by HuronBob at 1:38 PM on September 6, 2005

It's interesting that people feel a need to make the jokes when someone dies.

I'm kinda hoping people crack jokes when I die. So long as they're funny.
posted by jonmc at 1:40 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by Lusy P Hur at 1:42 PM on September 6, 2005

"The point is, jerkoffs, if you don't know who the heck it is, it is probably best to keep your mouth shut....

If you're stupid enough to PRETEND you don't know who it is and think that we'll find it amusing, still a good idea to keep your mouth shut.."

Geez, HB, the guy was a comedian, after all. He'd probably appreciate friends and fans remembering him by having a few laughs by way of remmebering him. Lighten up...

"A little song; a little dance;
A little seltzer down your pants."
posted by Mike D at 1:45 PM on September 6, 2005

It's interesting that people feel a need to make the jokes when someone dies.

Well, when they spent their lives making you laugh, it's natural. Somebody like Rehnquist dying just brings on somber or dread. The Pope, reverance. And so on.
posted by billder at 1:47 PM on September 6, 2005

posted by ericb at 1:47 PM on September 6, 2005

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Oh. Little buddy.

You know I read a great story just a couple weeks ago about Alan Hale Jr. (AKA: The Skipper). When Hale was in the hospital very ill and near the end he would unplug his IV's and shit - put on his Skipper cap - and escape his ward and go down to the Pediatric Cancer ward to entertain the sick kids. Evidentially this accelerated his demise.

Goddamn it. I gotta go. I got something in my eye.
posted by tkchrist at 1:49 PM on September 6, 2005

Bye Bob, you were my hero when I was six years old.

And now we're just left with The Professor, Maryann, and Ginger. Damn, I feel old.
posted by Ber at 1:50 PM on September 6, 2005

"Geez, HB, the guy was a comedian, after all. He'd probably appreciate friends and fans remembering him by having a few laughs by way of remmebering him. Lighten up..."

It's like this... you've made half an edit; the phone rings. You get a quick end-of-day question to answer just before you head out for the bus. So thinking that you're uneditably brilliant, you hit "Post".

You go back and re-read it. You think, "%$@%&!!!"

Here's what I meant to say: "Geez, HB, the guy was a comedian, after all. He'd probably appreciate friends and fans having a few laughs by way of remembering him. Lighten up..."

I trust my future biographer will get the right statement into the book. (I know I said, "That's one small step for Man..." I meant "That's one small step for a man...")
posted by Mike D at 1:51 PM on September 6, 2005

The professor actually lost a son to AIDS a while back, poor fellow.
posted by jonmc at 1:51 PM on September 6, 2005

The professor actually lost a son to AIDS a while back, poor fellow.

Bob Denver's brother-in-law died as a result of AIDS.
posted by ericb at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2005

The characters' full names (from Bob Denver's website to which oneswellfoop linked):

1) Gilligan - Willy Gilligan
2) The Skipper - Jonas Grumby
3) Thurston Howell III - Thurston Howell III
4) Mrs. Howell - Eunice Wentworth (Lovey) Howell
5) Ginger - Ginger Grant
6) The Professor - Roy Hinkley
7) Mary Ann - Mary Ann Summers
posted by ericb at 2:06 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by ktoad at 2:06 PM on September 6, 2005

WORK? The tone and dispair in his voice will always remind me to take time to play. Bye Little Buddy.
posted by threadbare at 2:06 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by about_time at 2:12 PM on September 6, 2005

He was one of my favorite celebrity pot smokers...
posted by klangklangston at 2:12 PM on September 6, 2005

HuronBob, you're pretty uptight for a hippy. Please bear in that this is only a web page not the Bob Denver funeral service.

Here's my tear if it makes feel better:

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posted by StarForce5 at 2:40 PM on September 6, 2005

Y'know, my dad always told me that he came from North Long Beach, CA (like me). Now I found that my father lied to me.

LIED!

*is crushed*
posted by Katemonkey at 2:41 PM on September 6, 2005

The characters' full names

A friend of mine, for whom only the original series is "canon," insists that the real first names of Gilligan and Mrs. Howell are unknown.
posted by gubo at 2:52 PM on September 6, 2005

Maynard G. Krebs was one of my favorite tv characters.

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posted by Ruki at 2:53 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by djeo at 3:14 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by Smart Dalek at 3:28 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by gleuschk at 3:31 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by WillieD at 4:11 PM on September 6, 2005

Mercer County, West Virginia's best-known celebrity. Rest in Peace, Bob.

He retired to West Virginia. I hope to do that.

No. You really don't want to do that.
posted by malaprohibita at 4:17 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by dougkess at 4:19 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by peacay at 4:25 PM on September 6, 2005

I loved him as Maynard G. Krebs--The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and My Living Doll were my favorite comedies when they were on. For me, when Denver became Gilligan and Julie Newmar became Catwoman, it was a step down in both cases.

From the link above:

Just before the Dobie show ended its run in 1962, Maynard recorded his legendary "Like, What?" album. But when the show was cancelled, the record's release was scrapped. Only a few hundred promotional copies were ever manufactured. "Like, What?" is now a highly sought after collector's item fetching thousands of dollars in mint condition. A smoky mixture of cool scat, jazz and beat poetry with a truly bent perspective, the lp is deadpan hilarious. The listener is never quite sure if its a put-on or not. An instant classic, the album's influence far exceeded its limited distribution. When Rolling Stone magazine asked Bob Dylan where he got the inspiration for "If Dogs Run Free", he said "I wanted to get that Krebs sound, you know, with the girls in the back, 'Like What?' "
posted by y2karl at 4:30 PM on September 6, 2005

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I remember watching Dobie Gillis on Nick at Nite. Good times.
posted by keswick at 5:09 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by parki at 5:17 PM on September 6, 2005

Hope he gets more than a three-hour tour of Heaven.

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posted by bwg at 5:41 PM on September 6, 2005

NOW how are they going to get home?
posted by briank at 6:30 PM on September 6, 2005

Ask for the bottom hammock this time, little buddy.
posted by deemer at 6:47 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by herichon at 6:56 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by nj_subgenius at 6:59 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by Edible Energy at 8:06 PM on September 6, 2005

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posted by geekyguy at 9:50 PM on September 6, 2005

No. You really don't want to do that.

Parts of West Virginia are great.

But back to the topic:

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posted by Vidiot at 11:16 PM on September 6, 2005